Honk! Pt.3, A Day Out [Vexed By Geese]

Time for some fun.

Sunrise to sunset in Zumerzet, one of the classic winter days out.

Yeah, I went there.

Avalon and the sky was fire and Starlings. 

I missed getting camera on the latter [too much cooing] but the former was slower to fly off for breakfast;

Sailor take warning.

I tarted about Ham Wall, north and south of the Line, then headed over the road to Shapwick, where Noah's caught the attention for some reason...

 

Picture time.

First up, a couple of Marsh Harriers;

 

Male. 2cy

 

 

Female. Adult

 

 

Striking a pose.

 

Of interest, perhaps, the first of these latter two pics was taken by zoomed camera, the second by photoscoping.

 

The traditional GWE;

Der-dum... Der-dum...

 

[I thought that was funny, anyway...]

Loxton's

That cleared area of reeds has just produced 63 Snipe, flushed as myself and that chap you can just see walked [opposite ways] along the path there.

Upon returning to Platform1, I encountered several of Devon's Finest, a couple of whom have featured in a pic on this blog in the past, and one who I'd chatted to only the day before [by the Otter]. They were busy looking for at a Water Pipit, which was unhelpfully hiding behind a wonderfully well-placed 'Sand Martin box'; right front and centre in the way of said Platform. [Yes, high intelligence from the RSPB again..*] **

 

 

Spot the Water Pipit!

 

 

Spot the Kingfisher [!]

 

Over the road, Noah's was covered in Wigeon, but not a lot else. 4 whole Pintail, for example....

 

Noah's Lake

 

1cy Marsh Harrier

 

I heard a few Cetti's, even saw some - including two having a 'discussion' which I was within a second of getting on record.. - and saw a single low-flying Bittern. These along with multiple GWEs and Marshies, but not a sniff of Beardie [though others did have them, they're tricksy].

 

 

Covid had me having lunch on a windy bench, which then turned out rather well as not only did a very nice Sprawk bomb by, but then I heard a rather musical honking sound off up-Sun [of course]. Was that an arriving party of Whooper Swans???

I got a bit excited - as I well might - and went in search of a visual...

And on and on.

No wild swans to be seen.

Hmm.

 

A party of Greylag Geese had appeared on the Lake, though.

Oh no.

No, no, no,no,no.......

There were lots of nice if unlucky trees for me to bang my head on as I headed back, muttering 'Greylags don't sound like that, they don't...'.

Moving on, we come to everyone's favourite concrete bowl.

All the salient features of the area

Yes, rather than stay on for the evening bunfight the Starlings get at this time of year [yeeeesh], I got out before the hordes arrived and swanned off up to Cheddar Res. to seek out 'proper' RCPs and a reported Scaup.

It was its usual self; cold as BLEEP and the birds are always on the other side... Wonderful. [No snark, I rather like the place]

Red-crested Pochards

Well, 3 out of 5 is middling.

There were a whole and amazing 27 Pochard [probably more than in whole rest of SW right now...]

Pochard

Tufted Duck

Screwup aside, it was a lovely day out.

Be Seeing You...

[[* If the lot in Devon are bad, at least they've never installed blinds backwards. Seriously, go to Ham Wall, turn towards the Tor View 'hide' and you'll see three new blinds, with benches on the duck side... I.. I.. I can't. ]]

[[** Quite why anyone thinks bank-nesting birds will choose a horribly exposed box is beyond me, but what do I know? ]]